Looking To Get Interviewed On "Oprah" or "The View"? ... STOP!

[Sandra Rea]

Get interviewed on top TV shows like CNN, 48 Hours, ABC's The View, Fox News and the Today Show!
Sign up for my seminar now! (Respond by the end of the month to receive $250 off!)

!!!!!! STOP !!!!!!!

Time for a Reality Check.

Do NOT fall for this tactic. If you think you are going to sign up for a seminar, plopping down hundreds of dollars to some guru who promises to get you on the shows of your dreams, so you can sell, sell, sell books, stop right now. This is not brain surgery, people. I've been in the PR business a long time. If you think you are going to pay for some silver bullet that's going to get you immediate national exposure and tons of book sales, you are going to be ripped to shreds by the werewolf selling you the "magic package."

Like any success in business and life, it is who you know … not WHO you can buy. Success takes hard work and effort. It also takes a little bit of luck. You cannot sit in a seminar and walk out with a backpack full of success. You might walk out with good resource books, information, tactics and if you are lucky a few contacts, but you still have to do the work. Again, not brain surgery. A lot of time though and knowing the right people to call. You want to get on "The View"? Guess what? There is a process involved. The "Today" show? Same. "48 Hours"? Yep. Process. Each show has its own and also has a specific contact person you need to reach. Impossible? Uh, no. It's totally doable with the right information. But you most likely aren't going to get it from the guy on stage at the seminar. What you will get is a lovely show and a chance to buy more "opportunities" from him.

I'm not saying that all the super sales gurus are like this, but we have run into quite a few along the way who are after one thing … YOUR MONEY. Make 'em work for it. Make 'em prove that the tactics they teach actually work FOR THEM. Ask them how many books they've sold, but don't stop there. Ask them for proof. If they say they've sold a million copies, do not take their word for it. It's hard to speak the truth through those sharp, money-crunching fangs. Have them show you a sales report. They'll tell you they can't. If they sold books, yes, they can. If they are what they say they are, they'll be happy to prove their sales to you. Most likely they will tell you that the information is unavailable to them. Really? We beg to differ.

Usually I am not so aggressive, but it burns me to think how many people sign up for book sales seminars in hopes that the information they are promised they will learn is going to make them the next best seller when in fact what they get for their money is a song and dance. They get a long, drawn-out seminar that has a lot of breaks for lunch and "networking" and breathers and opportunities to buy products, like CDs, DVDs and workbooks at the back of the room. When they're back in their chairs, they're fed line after line of teaser information and walk out with more questions than answers.

Bottom line: Don't be so trusting of book sales "experts" selling get-famous-quick seminars. Before you spend your money on and attend a BIG $$$ seminar, first look in your own back yard. Most metropolitan areas offer community forums where writers of all genres gather to exchange practical, real-world experience. Here you'll find a treasure trove of helpful information (and real people) that can provide plenty of sage (and free) advice without all the hype.

Send your comments and questions to me now: [e-mail] or 949.613.2099.

[David Eide]

I know one guy who got on Oprah and Phil Donohoe about 13 years ago. He had come up with a scientific theory that gained a lot of attention and made the talk show circuit. He was actually a pretty boring guy on TV and they tried to spice it up with people who disputed the theory. At any rate, that did give him some heft in the book publishing world and he went on to write quite a few. Last year he appeared on the Jon Stewart show to promote his latest book and that boosted sales quite a bit but I believe he said that had been arranged by the publisher. Or, the publisher/editor had sent Stewart the book, he liked it and booked the author on the show. I'm not sure a writer could finagle his or her way onto a national show without doing something of substance that would have popular interest. Another friend of mine wrote and published a novel and was on local cable shows. It didn't boost his sales much but it did help his morale!